OMM Redaksiyası
The European Union needs NATO to address security threats on its eastern flank, but must prepare to take greater responsibility for the continent’s defense as the United States redirects resources towards the Indo-Pacific, European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius said on Thursday.
Speaking at a Brussels conference hosted by the Friends of Europe think tank, Kubilius pointed to Russia and Belarus as clear threats on the EU’s eastern border. He cautioned against assuming that the United States would maintain its current level of military presence in Europe indefinitely.
US focus shifts towards the Indo-Pacific
Kubilius said China’s growing power and developments in the Indo-Pacific were increasingly shaping Washington’s strategic priorities and would require the United States to move resources away from Europe.
“That is why they are asking us to develop our capabilities and to be ready to take primary responsibility on the European continent, and they will stay with secondary responsibility,” he said.
He said he expected a reduced US presence in Europe, adding that the shift would be driven by Washington’s priorities in the Indo-Pacific rather than a change in its relationship with European allies.
Call for stronger European defense structures
Kubilius said the EU needed to reinforce its defense capabilities and institutions. He argued that Europe’s foreign policy and defense doctrines, institutions and decision-making arrangements, developed for an earlier period, were no longer suited to the current situation.
Europe needs stronger collective decision-making mechanisms alongside greater military capabilities, he said. A future European Defense Union, in his view, should bring together countries across the continent and include Ukraine and Canada.
Kubilius also proposed considering a smaller decision-making format, potentially based on the “E5 Plus” concept, with smaller countries able to take part on a rotating basis.
